Carving out a Creative Place When Your House or Home is Short on Space!

by Megan DuesterhausMarch 24, 2014

For as long as I can remember, there was always a craft room in our house growing up. Mom was a big-time crafter and raised crafting kids; and while this room rotated around the house as we changed rooms, grew up, and eventually moved out, there was always a space dedicated to her creative passions. In the almost 9 years I’ve been married, I’ve lived in 5 different homes. In each one, I too have carved out a place to store my craft supplies and sneak away to make pretty things. Over the years, I’ve had everything from tiny closets to full rooms dedicated to my hobby, so I’m here today to show you that no matter how tight your space might be, you CAN find room for your sewing machine, die-cut machine, or pottery wheel…and everything else that comes along with it!

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Consider Function and Purpose First

Before you take over a closet or hallway nook or the back of the playroom, consider what kind of space you need. What do you want to be able to do, and how much space do you really need? Do you sew or scrapbook? Then you need a space that can fit a flat work surface (like a desk or counter). Do you need computer access for your digital designing, custom embroidery or electronic die-cutting? Make sure you find a spot with easy computer and/our electrical outlet access! Do you work with wood and tools and paints? It’s probably best to setup a workstation outside where dust, debris, and fumes are less of a problem. Also consider how much stuff you need to store. Do you have a sizable fabric stash or hefty scrapbook paper collection? Factor your supplies into your space requirements. In our very first home as a newlywed, I did mostly stamping and paper crafts and was teaching myself to sew with only a few supplies. A simple kitchen island (from a thrift store!) provided me with a workspace while a bookshelf held all my supplies. It was basic and simple; but at the time, it was exactly what I needed and it worked perfectly for that home.

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Examine Your Home with a Critical Eye

Walk around your home and examine every room, every nook, and every closet to evaluate their potential for a craft space. Don’t underestimate any part of your house! Do you have an awkward corner in your hallway that could fit a desk? Do you have a closet filled with junk you could clear out and re-purpose? Do you have any big rooms that could become dual purpose? A blank wall in a mostly un-used guest room could be a perfect craft zone, as could half of the playroom, bonus room, or loft! In our fourth home, our laundry room was exceptionally large. The washer and dyer fit comfortably on one end, while the other side had floor-to-ceiling shelving. We didn’t need these shelves as laundry/storage space, so a quick addition of a desk made this an ideal craft station.

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Closets are Your Best Friend

Even if you can’t squeeze in an extra nook anywhere in your house, you most likely can steal away a closet, cabinet, or at the very least, a few shelves in a closet! Closets, especially those outfitted with good shelving, are an ideal place to setup your craft supplies. If you have an entire closet to use, consider putting a desk or narrow table along the bottom of it to create and all-in-one, easily-concealed mini craft room. If a desk won’t fit, try to use a closet that has a table or desk nearby. When you’re ready to craft, pulling out and putting back supplies won’t be such a nuisance!

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Put Your Storage and Work Space in the Same Footprint

Another one of my favorite space-saving solutions is to put the craft storage and workstation on the same floor footprint. If you can only take away a small part of a room, storing your supplies above and below your work surface allows the rest of the room to be put toward other uses. In our current home, I am super fortunate to have a dedicated craft space in our spare bedroom. However, this room doubles as a home office/study space as well. To maximize our floor plan, we used kitchen cabinets and wall-mounted shelves for craft supply storage and a counter top for a sewing and crafting surface. While this is a big feature of the room, almost my entire craft collection occupies only a 2’x12’ footprint! Even if you don’t want or need such an expansive work zone, a rolling kitchen island or desk with good vertical storage can accomplish the same effect!

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Shop for Hardworking Storage Solutions

Unless your creating is done digitally, there’s a good chance your crafting pursuits come with a lot of stuff! From larger items like sewing machines and die-cut machines to smaller items like notions, paints, stamps, and punches, crafting involves lots of supplies that need to be stored well in order to be used effectively and efficiently. If you’re short on space, you need to find hardworking storage solutions that will hold everything you have in a very compact way. Investing in bins, boxes, drawers, and caddies will allow you to use the space you do have in the best manner possible! In the office side of our craft/office space, a tower holding 12 drawers keeps everything from staplers to labels to envelopes organized, contained, and accessible in a very compact space!

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In each of the five homes we’ve lived in, I have had to determine a different solution for storing and using my crafting supplies based not just on the features of the house itself but also the demands of our family at the time. When I was working full-time and in graduate school, my supplies were rarely used. As such, they occupied a closet and were brought out only when needed. Now, as a stay-at-home Mom and craft blogger, I use these items each and every day, so they have been given a larger and more prominent space in our home. No matter if you are a hobby crafter or professional crafter or your supply stash is meager or rivals a craft store, I am sure there is space, somewhere in your place, to give your crafting supplies and pursuits a suitable home. To find it…well, you just might have to get creative!

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APARTMENT LIVING NEWSLETTER

Hi, I'm Megan...wife to a U.S. Marine and mom to a high-energy baby boy! We are a military family, moving into our 5th home in 8 years! I started this blog as a way to chronicle the various "homes I have made" over the years, as well as to be a resource for ideas, tips, and tricks for making any temporary space a cute, cozy and comfortable home! I hope you'll stay a minute, take a look around, introduce yourself, and hopefully...find something you like! Have a great day!

COMMENTS

Comments

I enjoied reading this article. I too am a crafter in my spare time though I work a full time job. But in my spare time I do a lil bit of crafting and by reading this article and checking out some of the pictures you have given me some nifty ideas as to creating that extra space that you need when living in a tight space. I’m glad that I woke up this morning and read this article. Now I’ll have to get going on creating my extra storage space in a tight place.